SCI Superstar: Marcus Culvert

Marcus Culvert may not be a name you’ve you heard of before, but he’s hoping one day it will be. A natural at drag racing, Marcus has his eyes on becoming the world’s fastest paraplegic drag racer, and he needs your help to do it.

A military man in his early years, as well as an accomplished bass player and the founder and executive director of a human trafficking and domestic violence awareness foundation, Marcus’ injury has only slightly changed his life’s course.

To watch a man who can’t walk but can go 240 miles an hour on a speedway (and do it with a big smile on his face; huge), this is the story of paralyzed speed demon – Marcus Culvert.

Why He’s Fearless

In the early nineties when he was 31, Marcus was stationed in Japan with the Navy. A gear-head since he was a young boy, who fell in love with drag racing and all kinds of fast vehicles as a teenager, he had his dream cycle while stationed here. But one day, while driving back to the base, he was hit and flew in the air, breaking his back on impact.

At first Marcus couldn’t see the joy or purpose of his situation, but quickly that changed and within a year Marcus was driving a SUV with hand controls. He wanted more than anything however to get back into drag racing. Drag racing is considered one of the safest motor sports since no turns are required. Marcus is a big fan of the 1/4 mile drag race, which has been his favorite race since he started drag racing.

A Chevy man, Marcus goes up to 240 miles an hour when drag racing, and he loves it more than anything. He uses standard push-pull by controls to drive the car, and there’s a nitrous button on the controls so he can amp up his speed, adding 250-500 horsepower. Now that’s pretty awesome.

But Marcus wants to do more than just race, he wants to set the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest paraplegic drag racer, and he’s currently looking for sponsors. He was hoping to set the world record earlier in 2014, but unfortunately sponsors didn’t come through.

What’s Next?

A man of many hats, Marcus is also equally passionate about awareness of human trafficking and domestic violence. He cares so about this issue in fact that he founded a nonprofit called the Unity Cares Foundation, also known as Unity Wear, that makes notice of these important issues to the world through social media and clothing.

It’s not every day someone with paralysis makes such a statement in so many areas of life, but Marcus lives big, and we would love to see him set that record.

– Facebook: Marcus Culvert